Seattle Seahawks Are Favorites In Arizona, But It’s Not That Simple
The Seattle Seahawks’ season won’t be a failure if they lose to the Arizona Cardinals tomorrow. The Seattle Seahawks’ season won’t be a success if they defeat the Arizona Cardinals tomorrow. There’s still another regular season game to be played after this one, and while this weekend’s showdown will go a long way towards determining playoff seeding, it won’t determine playoff seeding.
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That being said, this is easily the most important game the Seahawks will have played since the Super Bowl. The Cardinals at one point looked like they’d simply pulled too far ahead to be caught, and now the Seahawks are a game away from having caught them. A win and they’re favorites for home field advantage. Just as they’re favorites in Arizona this weekend.
Yes, the Seahawks are favored by 7.5 points to defeat the Cardinals. Yes, Arizona has a better record and has been sitting on top of the entire NFC all season long. But recent play is weighed more heavily, and you don’t need a microscope to see that these two teams have been trending in opposite directions.
The Seahawks have allowed 27 points total over their last four games, all of which they’ve won handily. The Cardinals have allowed 68 total points over their last four games, two of which they’ve lost. One of those losses, you’ll surely remember, came in Seattle. For two teams driven by their elite defenses, the results have been very different as of late.
It’s not that surprising that the Seahawks are favored, then. Maybe it’s a little surprising, given the venue, but the last month of football makes it kind of obvious. They’ve been playing better for a while now, and so they’re the favorites. But that doesn’t make it wise to count out the Cardinals, at least not just yet.
Arizona is starting Ryan Lindley at quarterback, and that’s significant. Arizona’s defense has faltered some in the last month, and that’s significant. But Drew Stanton will likely be in uniform, and that matters, too. And that defense is still pretty awesome, recent results be damned. With a legitimate backup plan at QB, these Cardinals could quickly look like those Cardinals, as in the ones who opened the year 9-1.
Recent play matters, but overall play is what’s most important. Overall, the Cardinals have been outstanding. They’ve won more games than any other team in the NFC, and the fact that lots of those wins came early in the year doesn’t really do anything to devalue them. This is still an elite team. The Seahawks are elite, too, but the challenges of this game can’t be brushed aside.
Favorites or not, the Seahawks have a mountain in front of them that needs to be climbed. They’re underdogs for the division crown still, seeing as they still trail Arizona by a game. You want to see what it looks like when a team truly controls their own destiny? Tune in tomorrow and watch the ‘Hawks in action. A lot is on the line. The Seahawks can play to the best of their ability and maximize their odds of taking the NFC’s top seed.
But it’s critical to remember that they can also play their absolute best football and lose anyway. The Cardinals are weakened, but they’re still really, really good. The Seahawks’ offense is middle-of-the-pack, and they’ll be going up against a top defense. It’s gonna be tough, and if they lose, we should be smarter than to act blindsided. The Cardinals aren’t the Bills. Hell, the Cardinals aren’t even the Eagles. They might be the best team in the NFC. And they’ve got one last good chance to prove it.